MASON CITY — Nearly six months after a Mason City woman was run down and killed in a downtown grocery store parking lot, police have arrested the driver and charged him with felony vehicular homicide.
Timothy L. Best, 46, of Mason City, was taken into custody at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday, July 16, 2026, and booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail.
Best is charged with homicide by vehicle through reckless driving, a Class C felony under Iowa Code section 707.6A(2), in connection with the January 31 death of 75-year-old Sharon V. Hamm of Mason City.
The fatal collision happened at approximately 2:38 p.m. in the parking lot of the Fareway grocery store at 400 North Delaware Avenue.
According to the original investigation, Best was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe south through the parking lot when the SUV struck Hamm in the traveled portion of the lot.
Hamm was rushed by ambulance to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center but did not survive.
The Tahoe was later towed from the scene as police and the Iowa State Patrol began investigating how a routine Saturday afternoon trip to the grocery store ended in tragedy.
Best (pictured at top) was initially identified as the driver but was not immediately charged.
Mason City police announced Friday that the lengthy investigation has now resulted in the serious felony charge. Police did not disclose what evidence led investigators to conclude that Best had allegedly been driving recklessly.
The Mason City Police Department was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol and the Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office. Police said cooperation among the agencies was crucial in advancing the case and bringing the charge.
The case remains active, and police said no additional details will be released at this time.
NIT’s original report on Hamm’s death and the investigation at the Fareway parking lot can be read here.
A Class C felony in Iowa is generally punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
The Iowa Department of Transportation reported 156 traffic fatalities statewide in 2026 as of Friday, July 17. The preliminary count may change as investigations are completed.
Best is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
People in this town drive like maniacs. Parking lots are not a racetrack.
That is correct. Why did it take the idiot cops in mason city 6 months to solve this? Review their history. They really can’t solve anything.